Trolley.



Patented Sept. l7, I90L F. A. CRANS.

TBOLLEY.

(Application filed June 18, 1901.)

(N6 Model.)

In: npnms PETERS 00.. PNOTQLITHQV, WASHXNGTON. o. (:v

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FRANCIS A. ORANS, OF WAVERLY, NEW YORK.

TROLLEY.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 682,603, dated September 1'7, 1901.

Application filed June 18,1901. Serial No. 65,023. (No model.)

zen of the United States, residing at Waverly,

in the county of Tioga and State of New York, haveinvented a new and useful Improvement in Trolleys, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in trolleys for electric-railway cars, and more particularly to improvements in the device described in Letters Patent No. 647,193, granted to Lynch, Griffin, and Simpson, April 10, 1900, and has for its object to provide an improved means for securing the trolley-wheel against displacement on the line-wire while the car is running.

A further object is to provide a more simple and cheaply-constructed device of this character than those heretofore in use and also to materially decrease the weight thereof.

.A still further object is to provide improved means by which the device may be quickly attached to the trolley-poles as now in ordinary use without the requirement of structural alterations therein and to provide means for completely insulating the device from the trolley pole and wheel.

I accomplish the above objects by means of the construction and arrangement of parts illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which-- Figure 1 represents a plan view of my device; Fig. 2, a side elevation thereof, and Fig. 3 a rear elevation.

In the several views similar letters refer to like parts.

A represents the trolley-pole, and B the trolley-wheel supported in the forked end thereof in the usual manner.

0 is a frame supported in the rear of the I trolley-Wheel, said frame being preferably The ject inwardly and downwardly from the side 1 plates F F to engage the arms 0 c in order to hold said plates against the arms and to insure their dropping into proper position when either is raised to admit the spindle when assembling the parts.

When attaching the frame 0 to the trolley, one of the plates F and its insulating-strip G are thrown upward, the screw f being loosened for this purpose. set in position, with the holes through the eyes of the arms 0 o in alinement with the holes in the fork of the trolley-pole, the trolley-wheel being placed in like position. The spindle D is then inserted, after which the plate F and strip G are thrown down and the screw f tightened, thereby fastening the spindle D in place. It will be noted that by reasonof the insulating-strips G and the washers E the arms 0 o are fully insulated from the The frame is then spindle D and from the forks of the trolleypole. The frame 0 is supported in the rear by means of a spring H, preferably formed of two fiat leaves, one of which extends for about half the distance of the other. The ends of these leaves are secured in the socketpiece I, which is adjustably set in the clamping-piece J, which in turn is secured upon the trolley pole A, as shown in Fig. 2, it being understood that this clamping-piece is suitably insulated from said pole by means of an insulating-washer. In order to properly adjust the spring H to hold the frame 0 in proper position relatively to the line-wire, I provide the means of adjustment illustrated in Fig. 3. The socket-piece I has an eyepiece c', which comes between the two cheekpieces of the clamp J, the bolt j being used to clamp the parts together. One of the cheekpieces is provided with a series of radial notches, and the eyepiece i is provided with a radial rib or ribs to engage said notches, and it will be readily understood that by loosening the boltj and turning the eyepiece to the right or left the set of the spring H may be adjusted as desired, and that when the bolt is drawn up again the socket-piece will be securely held in position by reason of the locking action of the rib and notches.

Between the depending transverse flanges c c of the frame 0 are pivoted two arms L L, the outer ends of which arms are provided with eyes l l to receive the bifurcated ends of the trolley-rope. On the upper sides of these arms, supported upon suitable spindles, are located the spool-shaped rollers N N, the upper ends of these rollers being beveled in order that they may the more readily be thrown apart to admit the line-wire when the trolley-wheel is thrown up against it. These rollers are also formed so as to readily pass the trolley-line supports, switch-points, and cross-overs. At each side of the arms L L are secured the springs M M upon suitable pins. These springs serve to draw the arms L L toward one another and hold the linewire between the rollers N N.

In operation the rollers N N engage the line-wire in such manner as to prevent the trolley-wheel from jumping away or being otherwise displaced from the line-wire. At the same time sufficient sidewise and vertical play is allowed by reason of the spool-like construction of the rollers and the springcoupled arms L L to provide for the proper working of the device in passing line-supports, cross-overs, and switch-points and in running around curves. When the trolleywheel is to be removed from the line-wire, as in reversing the trolley-pole, a downward pull on the pole-rope will spread the arms L L apart, thereby releasing the rollers from the line-wire. In order to prevent too much motion in the arms L L, I provide the stops 0 O, which engage the downward projections on said arms when the rollers have been spread a sufficient distance apart. These stops 0 O are preferably formed in the same piece with the brackets which receive the pin h, by which the spring H is secured to the frame 0, as indicated in the broken-away portion of Fig. 3. In replacing the trolleywheel upon the line-wire the beveled heads of the rollers N N will permit said heads to readily pass above the linew re, which is then held between the top and bottom flanges of the rollers, the spring H causing the bottom flanges to be thrown up and held against the line-wire in proper operative position.

It will be found that the device hereinabove described is very compact and light in weight and that it can be readily attached to any of the trolley-poles new in use simply by substituting a spindle D of suitable length for the bolt-spindles now in use. It is also fully insulated from the trolley wheel and pole, so that there can be no sparking between it and the line-Wire.

Having thus described my improvements, what I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The combination, with a trolley pole and wheel, of a frame carrying two spring-actuated laterally-movable grooved rollers to engage the line-wire, and means for separating said rollers to release the trolley-Wheel from said wire, said frame having arms hung upon the ends of the trolley-wheel spindle with side plates to close over the ends of said spindle, one or both of said plates being movable to permit of the insertion of the spindle, and means for supporting said frame in proper position relatively to the line-wire.

2. The combination, with a trolley pole and wheel, of a frame carrying two spring-actuated laterally-movable grooved rollers to engage the line-wire, and means for separating said rollers to release the trolley-wheel from said wire, said frame being hung upon the trolley-wheel spindle and being supported from beneath by a spring-arm held in an adjustable socketpiece clamped upon the trolley-pole.

3. The combination, with a trolley pole and wheel, of the frame 0 having arms hung upon the ends of the wheel-spindle, the coveringplates h F, the insulating-strips G G and washers E E, the spring-actuated arms L L carrying the grooved rollers N N, the springarm H, the socket-piece I, the insulating clamp J, and means for locking said socketpiece and clamp together in required adjustment.

in testimony whereof I have affixed my signature in presence of two Witnesses.

FRANCIS A. ORANS.

Witnesses:

Janus B. LYNCH, N. l). Calms. 

